The Branwen Rose
by SmashMaster9000
Summary: After the battle of Beacon, Ruby and Yang return home, now with permanent scars, mental and physical. Qrow and Taiyang have another argument over whether or not they should tell Ruby the truth about her father, leading to Yang learning some deep secrets about Qrow. Rated M for strong language (Mostly Qrow), adult content, and mature/difficult subject matter. Spoilers for Volume 3.
1. Chapter 1: The Truth

**Chapter 1: The Truth**

"Goodnight Uncle Qrow," Ruby said as she started drifting off to sleep.

"Sweet dreams kiddo," Qrow replied, quietly shutting the door as he left the room.

Qrow sighed heavily. He hated faking this uncle crap. He hated lying to the girls, specifically Ruby. He always felt guilty not telling her the truth. As he turned to walk down the hall he saw Taiyang waiting for him at the end, leaning against the wall.

'Oh great, time for yet another exciting shouting contest,' Qrow thought, rolling his eyes and uncapping his flask to take a drink, 'If I'm gonna be in an argument, I'm not doing it while sober.'

Qrow brought the flask to his lips and took three gulps before removing and sealing it, returning it back to his pocket. He then proceeded to walk down the hall until he was only five feet away from Taiyang.

"You're lucky I'm letting you stay here for awhile to help them," Taiyang told with a stern look and tone.

"I know, Tai," Qrow replied, accepting the facts.

"You're even more so that I let you go see them at Beacon," Taiyang told again with the same tone.

"I know, Tai," Qrow replied once more.

"And you know you're out of here the moment they get better," Taiyang went on.

"Tai, please," Qrow spoke up, "If this is happening, can we please not do it right outside of their rooms? For the girls' sake?"

Taiyang saw the look on Qrow's face. It wasn't sorrow, it wasn't anger, it was pure acceptance of what was happening. But he was not going to let that wake Yang and Ruby, especially after what they went through at Beacon.

"Okay, outside," Taiyang simply answered.

The two of them walked through the house, crossing the living room to the front door. Taiyang opened the door as Qrow reached for his scythe which was currently leaning against the wall.

"Leave your weapon here," Taiyang said.

Qrow looked to Taiyang, but reluctantly agreed to his terms and withdrew his hand from the scythe's hilt. He followed Taiyang outside and shut the door behind him.

"So what's this about Tai?" Qrow asked in a sincere tone.

"What it's about is that I don't want you around the girls anymore," Taiyang demanded.

"What?! You know it's best I stick around! Outside of you, I'm the closest thing those girls have to family!" Qrow bursted, "Who you gonna get to help you out when I'm gone? Raven? Please, she left your ass with Yang when she was only a couple months old! That's when you called to me and Summer for help."

"Yeah, and then Summer had Ruby, then you left and she died!" Taiyang shouted back.

"Don't you dare act like that's my fault!" Qrow got louder, "I already feel guilty everyday about having to lie to them! Having to lie to Ruby! Everyday, everyday I want to tell her the truth! And you know what?! I think it's about time I have!"

"Qrow, calm down!" Taiyang told, "They could hear you!"

"Good!" Qrow stated, "It's about time! She's almost sixteen for fucks sake! She should have known by now! I'm not allowed to tell her, and of course you won't! You're too scared of what she'll think of you! To think, daddy's little girl is-"

"Qrow, we can't tell her, not after what just happened at Beacon!" Taiyang brought up.

"Then when?! When she loses more of her friends to the coming war! When she's on her deathbed! When Tai?! When do we tell her the truth?!"

"When it's good!"

"Good is never coming! She just lost two good friends the other day! And in case you haven't noticed, YANG LOST AN ARM! Like it or not, times are only gonna get worse from here on out! It'd be best to tell her now!"

"If it weren't for you they would never had gotten into fighting and would have never gotten hurt!"

"If it weren't for me they'd be dead a long time ago! She deserves to know the truth! I'm not her uncle!"

"Qrow keep quiet!"

"Yang's not her sister!"

"Qrow!"

"And you're sure as hell not her father!"

"You were hardly around for her, and when you were, you were drunk! Why do you suddenly care now!?"

"BECAUSE SHE'S MY DAUGHTER DAMN IT!"


	2. Chapter 2: Beginnings

Author's Note: WOW! I did not expect this story to be liked this much on just chapter one... Wow... Um... Enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Beginnings**

(17 years ago)

Qrow walked down the quite dirt path with his hands tucked nicely in his pockets, watching his surroundings very closely. He could feel like he was being watched, and he hated it. Sighing, he reached for the scythe on his back.

"Alright whoever you are, show yourself now and I promise to leave you in only two pieces," Qrow spoke with his usual cockiness.

The one watching him came out from behind one of the many trees. Qrow's eyebrows raised upward upon seeing the familiar white hooded cloak. The figure in question pulled down the hood to reveal the face of a young woman with black and red hair and silver eyes.

"Oh, please don't hurt me Mr. Huntsman," she spoke with sarcasm, "I'm just a harmless little girl."

"Careful now Summer," Qrow jokingly warned, "I could have just cut you in half right now."

"Oooh, I'm so scared," she joked walking up to Qrow, "It's good to see you, Qrow."

"You too," Qrow said placing his hand on her shoulder, "Come on, let's walk."

The former team members continued to walk down the dirt path side by side. The forest was as quiet as the dead of night, only the sound of the their own voices breaking the silence.

"So, did Tai call you too?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah, something about needing help with the kid, I think" Summer said unsure, "He sounded, well, weak. Have you heard anything from Raven?"

"Nope. And she's not returning any of my calls as of late," Qrow replied looking at his scroll, "So either A: I somehow really pissed off my sister or B: something's wrong."

Qrow put away his scroll and sighed heavily. Summer saw the look on his face and was worried herself. Then she noticed something particular and smiled which Qrow picked up on.

"What got you so happy all of a sudden?" he asked.

"The cloak, you're wearing the cloak I made you," she said as her face brightened, "I can't believe you actually kept it after all this time."

Qrow could practically feel the smile on Summer's face piercing him. It had been so long that he had seen her look so happy, it was actually quite heartwarming. Qrow could then feel his face heating up.

"Well, you know, I thought I'd keep it just for old times sake," he nervously said scratching his head, "You know, for the nostalgia."

Summer loved the look on his face. His face beet red, his eyes avoiding making contact. It was cute how he could go from the confident scythe wielder of a huntsman to such a nervous wreck. She continued to eye the cloak, until she spotted something she didn't like.

"Qrow," she got his attention, "The cloak is damaged."

'Shit!' Qrow thought seeing the burning fire in her eyes.

"Why is my cloak damaged, Qrow?" she repeated.

"Okay, in my defense, I put out the fire rather quickly," he reassured.

"Fire?! You were on fire!" she shouted with her eyes widening, "Why were you on fire?!"

"Err, it's a long story," Qrow nervously stated, "It all started in Vacuo where... Is that the place?" Qrow asked pointing forward.

Summer turned to look where he was pointing and down the path she saw it. A building. Small, looking more like a shed, but manageable to live in. Looks to be falling apart with some wear and tear.

"I really hope that's not where he's living," Summer spoke with a negative tone.

The two continued down the path toward the "house" when upon getting close, a faint sound could be heard. Both stopped, trying to focus on what it was. It was high pitched, rather continuous. When she figured it out, Summer's eyes widened.

"Qrow!" She commanded.

"On it!" he followed with no need of further orders.

Qrow charged forward as fast as he could toward the house. The closer he got the louder the sound got, and the more apparent he became of what it was. It was the sound of screaming, no, crying. He knew what it was. He slammed into the door. Nothing. He did it again. Nothing. Qrow put all his strength into one more try. The door broke open, and about fifteen feet away on a sofa, sat his former team member. Taiyang.

"Tai?"

* * *

Author's Note: Really... Just... Wow!


	3. Chapter 3: Take a Break

Author's Note: Again, really surprised this is is taking off as it is. Thank you. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Take a Break**

"Tai?" Qrow tried to get his attention.

No response. Taiyang just remained there motionless, sitting on the sofa. All the while the crying was still going on louder than ever. Qrow could see what was making the noise was currently within Taiyang's arms, wrapped in a small yellow blanket. Summer finally was able to catch up with him.

"I... forgot... how fast... you run...," she panted trying to catch her breath, "I think... I'm gonna... throw up..."

"Summer," Qrow said getting her attention.

"Oh God!" she gasped seeing Taiyang motionless, "Please. Please don't be..."

Qrow slowly moved toward Taiyang. Making sure not a single step he took made any king of sound. The closer he got the better look he got of what was in Taiyang's arms. Qrow saw a face peaking out of the blanket with a small patch of blonde hair, and said face had it's mouth opened wide, crying as loud as it could.

"Summer, come here," Qrow gestured.

Summer walked up closer and saw the same face Qrow had.

"It's a girl," she stated with wide eyes.

"Wait, how can you tell from just her face?" Qrow asked.

Summer merely gave Qrow a look of displeasure in his doubt.

"You know what, I'm not gonna question it," he stopped himself.

"Is he... You know?" Summer asked trying to avoid using the word.

"Nah, he's breathing, just out cold," Qrow confirmed, "Man must have it rough. Probably hasn't been sleeping lately."

Qrow leaned forward and started to shrug Taiyang on the shoulder, trying to shake him awake. First starting light, but nothing. After a couple seconds Qrow began to shake him a bit harder and Taiyang's eyes snapped open. The first thing Tai thought was that he was being attacked and decided to jolt up in an instant. Upon standing up, Taiyang knocked his head against Qrow's, causing both of them to fall backwards. Taiyang fell back into the sofa while Qrow fell to the floor.

"Mother Fffaahh!" Qrow shouted holding his head, "Damn it, Tai!"

"Q-Qrow?" Taiyang said unsure due to his blurriness of just waking up and the sudden collision to his head, "S-Summer?"

"Hi Taiyang," Summer said softly giving a small wave.

"No everyone, I'm fine," Qrow sarcastically said getting off the floor, "It's just a minor concussion, nothing to worry about."

"What are you guys doing here?" Taiyang asked half awake.

"You called us, remember?" Summer reminded.

"Oh yeah, sorry guys I... I just have a lot to deal with right now," Taiyang looking to the child in his arms.

"What's her name?" Summer asked.

"Yang," Tai answered shushing Yang as she calmed down, "You wanna hold her?"

Summer walked over to Taiyang and carefully lifted the young girl out of his arms. Almost like magic, Yang immediately started smiling at the sight of Summer. Qrow and Taiyang stared in disbelief at the miracle they just witnessed.

"So, where's her mother?" Qrow asked.

"Huh?"

"Raven. Where's my sister, Tai?"

"Who knows, who cares," Taiyang spoke with a displease look and anger in his voice.

Taiyang pulled a metal flask out of his pockets, taking off the cap he took multiple gulps of whatever was inside. Knowing he wouldn't get an answer, Qrow took the flask from him and took a sip to see what he was drinking. He immediately was disgusted by the taste and spit it out on the floor.

"Alcohol? Really?" Qrow questioned, "You shouldn't be drinking. It's poison man."

"Give it back," Taiyang said with a tone like he almost didn't care if he did.

"What happened man?" Qrow asked sincerely.

"Raven left me, left me to raise Yang by myself," Taiyang said softly as to avoid choking on his own words, "It's been difficult to take care of Yang on my own. I'm starting to lose hope."

"Tai, when was the last time you actually went to sleep?" Qrow asked more.

"... What day is it?"

Qrow sighed at the truth that he hasn't been sleeping lately. In a quick motion, Qrow pulled Taiyang to his feet and let him hang off of him.

"What are you doing?" Taiyang asked completely confused.

"Taking you to your bed," Qrow answered simply, "You need to sleep."

"But Yang-"

"Will be fine with me and Summer, you need some rest."

Qrow walked with Taiyang to his room, which wasn't far due to the size of the building it was only a few feet away. He opened the door and helped get Taiyang to the bed.

"Thank you, Qrow," Taiyang said graciously.

"Don't mention it, you take a break," Qrow said closing the door behind him, "You deserve it."


	4. Chapter 4: Nightmares and Fights

**Chapter 4: Nightmares and Fights**

(Present Day)

Yang awoke with a gasp and lying in a cold sweat, her eyes widen and breathing heavily. It has been like this ever since Beacon. She rarely got to sleep, and when she did she was forced awake from the nightmares. It was always the same one. Blake disappearing. Her becoming a child, alone in dark. And that man with the red sword. It scared her and she hated that. It made her feel like a kid again, completely defenseless. Unable to save her own skin. She removed the covers and turned to sit at the edge of the bed. Resting her arm on her knee and her hand holding her head, Yang began to slowly calm herself down.

'It's okay, it's okay. You're awake, it's gone,' she kept thinking to herself making her breathing slow down to normal pacing, 'M-maybe a drink will help calm the nerves.'

Yang lifted herself off of the bed and walked toward the bedroom door. By instinct, she reached for the doorknob with her right arm, only to quickly remember the harsh reality. It's not going to be easy getting over this loss, especially since her right arm was the dominate one. She did everything with her right hand, from writing to eating. Even while fighting she opened up with her right. Now she had to adjust to doing everything awkwardly with her left hand from now on.

She opened the door and closed it behind her as she left the room. The first thing she noticed was that it was dead quiet. No lights were left on so it was completely dark. Yang made sure to walk ever so slowly as to not wake anyone as she traveled down the hall. Upon reaching the living room she noticed her uncle wasn't on the couch as she couldn't hear his often loud snoring.

'I guess he left early,' she thought to herself with a saddened look on her face, 'figures, he's always in a rush to get going.'

Yang pushed the thought aside. She'd think about it when she was fully awake tomorrow. Right now she just needed a drink and go back to sleep. Continuing into the kitchen, Yang grabbed a glass from a cupboard and placed in the sink below the faucet. Turning it to cold, she waited for the right amount of water to fill the cup before switching it off. In one go, Yang downed the entire glass, ending in a gasp of air.

Yang froze when she heard the faint sound of yelling coming from outside. She could make out two voices arguing, but not the words. Yang walked to the front door, and as she got closer, she began to figure out who it was. It was her dad and her uncle, having another fight of which she never knew the reason behind. Yang sat at the door, listening to them yell at each other for about a minute. Until she heard her uncle say one certain line.

"Good is never coming! She just lost two good friends the other day! And in case you haven't noticed, YANG LOST AN ARM!" Qrow yelled with anger behind every word he spoke, "Like it or not, times are only gonna get worse from here on out! It'd be best to tell her now!"

'Are they... they're fighting about me?' her thoughts instantly went to as her hand covered her mouth and tears started to form.

Their next words didn't register to her as she zoned out of their argument back into her own thoughts. She was only brought back to reality when the noise stopped. Peaking out the very slightly opened door, Yang saw her father and uncle starring each other down. All the while small almost unnoticeable flakes of snow began to fall, signally the arrival of winter.

Qrow made a quick dash for Taiyang. Catching him off guard, he landed one clean hit on the side of his face. The force of the strike knocked Taiyang a good couple feet back onto the ground. Yang's eyes widened as a gasp escaped her voice. A couple seconds past before Taiyang rose back to his feet.

"So, that's how it's going to be?" Taiyang asked well knowing what the answer would be, "Fine."

Taiyang darted forward, landing a hit on Qrow similar to the one he was given. The two kept delivering blow for blow, never letting up or moving a muscle as they stood their ground, continuously hitting each other. Their aura lasted several minutes of non-stop assault until one of Qrow's punches drew first blood, busting Taiyang's lip.

"Asshole!" he shouted simply.

"Jackass!" Qrow retorted.

Both of them continued to fight, neither moving to dodge or block the others punches. It was just hit after hit after hit after hit after hit. Yang watched as the only two parental figures left in her life mercilessly beat each other in the freezing cold. She couldn't stand it. Them fighting to actually harm one another. It being about her. And her unable to do anything about it. Yang was done with this.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO!?"


	5. Chapter 5: Please Stop Hiding Secrets

**Chapter 5: Please Stop Hiding Secrets**

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!"

Both Qrow and Taiyang froze in place upon hearing the shouting. The two huntsmen turned toward the direction of the voice to see a tempered blonde huntress in training staring them down. Her eyes burning red, hair set a blaze, and tears running down her cheeks.

"Yang?" Qrow responded.

"What are you doing up?" Taiyang asked.

"What am I doing?! What are you two doing?!" Yang shouted back at her father, "I know you've guys have been fighting for awhile now, but all this time I didn't know it was about me!"

The two adults were left dumbfounded by her words. They looked to one another before going back to Yang.

"You think we were fighting about you?" Qrow questioned.

"Well yeah, I mean you said something about my arm and-" she paused upon realizing, "Wait, if you weren't fighting about me, what were you fighting about?"

"It's nothing to worry about, Yang," Taiyang assured.

"Bullshit!" Yang yelled at her dad.

"Hey, watch your mouth!" he snapped.

"You two have been keeping too many secrets from me and Ruby, and honestly, I'm getting sick of it!" she continued, "You hid the truth about Ozpin, Ruby's eyes, and worst of all my own mother! And now there's something even bigger that you refuse to tell us?"

"You told her about Raven?" Taiyang turned to Qrow.

"I had to, Tai," Qrow said wholeheartedly, "She deserved to know the truth after what had happened."

"Please, Dad, Uncle Qrow," Yang pleaded, "stop lying to us."

They watched as Yang's semblance died down. Her eyes reverting back to their usual purple and her hair back to its normal shade of blonde. Her anger had been worn out with her yelling. Knowing they weren't getting out of this one, Qrow sighed in defeat.

"Tai, wait in the house," he told

Taiyang gave Qrow a questioning look, unsure of what he was going to do, but reluctantly listened to him and walked back into the building without even getting a glance from Yang or Qrow. As soon as the door shut Qrow began.

"Alright Yang, come with me," he said simply as he turned around and started walking toward the woods.

Yang hesitated before following her uncle, unsure of what to currently make of him. She always trusted him before, but lately with all the secrecy, her trust is beginning to wear. Together, they continued to walked through the woods, in the darkness of night, for at least ten minutes before Yang stopped counting. Qrow came to a stop when they got to a small clearing, taking a seat on an old log. Yang took the spot next to him and waited until he spoke.

"You know, we used to come out here often," he said thinking of the past, "Just me, your dad, Summer, and a baby you. We'd set up a camp and just look up at the stars."

"Why did you stop?"

"Things just changed. Summer got pregnant with your si... Ruby, I went back to going on jobs, Tai started working at Signal. We just didn't have the time we wanted."

"That's a nice story and all, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing. Just thought it would be nice to come out here again. But it's just not the same without Tai and Summer."

"Uncle Qrow. Please. Tell me what's going on."

There was a long pause between their words. Nothing but the sounds of night keeping it all from quiet. Qrow then turned to face her.

"A long time ago, I made a promise to Tai. I would never tell anyone the secret unless given the 'okay' from him. Now you gotta make one with me. If you want to know the truth, you have to promise to never tell your father or Ruby that you know. Because what I'm about to tell you is going to break that promise I made. Understand?"

"Okay Uncle Qrow, I promise not to tell anyone."

"You know how I'm your uncle but not Ruby's, right?"

"Yeah, you're my mom's brother," Yang answered with a raised brow, "What does that matter?"

"Because," Qrow paused to take a deep breath, "I'm still related to Ruby in one way."

"I... I don't follow," Yang said unable to figure it out.

"Yang, Ruby's not your sister."

"What? Of course she is. We've lived together for our entire lives. We share the same father."

"No, no you don't."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, it's a long story. I guess I should start from the beginning."


	6. Chapter 6: Where It All Started

**Chapter 6: Where It All Started**

(16 years ago)

Qrow's eyes slowly opened as he began to stir awake. The sound of morning and light shining through the windows right onto his face being the cause. He looked around his location to try and get his barrings of his situation. Upon seeing the room he was in he remembered where he was. Taiyang's tiny little rundown home. He was on the couch of course thanks to there being only one bedroom, Taiyang's. He looked down to see the now one year old Yang laying curled up on his lap, with her head resting on his left arm and a small blanket covering most of her body.

And to his left, resting her head on his shoulder, was the young leader of his previous team. Summer Rose. Qrow couldn't help but watch her sleep soundly against him. Her pure innocents and kindhearted nature shining through her unconscious face. You couldn't even tell that she was a highly trained huntress. The more he watched her, the more he didn't want to look away.

'She looks so, beautiful,' he thought to himself, 'How, how have I never noticed this before?'

Several minutes passed with Qrow just watching her. Taking in every second of her beauty, as this may be his only chance to truly admire it this close. Suddenly, Summer began to stir in her sleep. At first he thought she was about to wake up, Qrow relaxed when he saw her smile.

'Must being having a nice dream,' he thought gaining a smile himself, 'Wonder what it's about.'

"Qrow," she mumbled in her sleep, "Qrow, please."

'Me? She's, she's dreaming about me?' he thought surprised by her words, 'That's... that's...'

"Qrow, please stop it," she continued, "It, it feels nice."

Qrow was left speechless and thoughtless. Was this small girl sleeping on his shoulder seriously having a dirty dream about him? He could almost hear the image he had of her being pure and innocent shatter in an instant from just that one sentence. It was too surreal.

"Oh my God," Qrow said, unable to think of any other words to say.

As if his words were an alarm, Summer's eyes opened to see him looking directly at her. One set of eyes staring right into the other. Unavoidable of what each had just done

"Were you just..." Summer started, not wanting to finish her question.

"Yes." Qrow said simply, knowing farewell he wasn't going to get out of it with a lie.

"And I was..."

"Yeah."

"And you heard..."

"Yup."

Silence filled the empty air around them. They sat there completely still as the awkward moment played out. Both lost at what to say, each set of eyes locked on the other, not knowing what to do next.

"So, what now?" Summer asked unsure.

Qrow did not answer as he did not have an answer to give. What were they to do? Should they just act like the moment that just happened ever occurred? Should she just forget he was caught watching her sleep? Should he just ignore how she was having a suggestive dream about him? Should... Should... Should he try to see how far he could get away with?

He slowly leaned his head forward toward her, waiting for her to be weirded out and back away. She didn't. She held her ground as he crept ever closer to her. He almost stopped himself before seeing her close her eyes, bracing herself for it. Qrow felt he needed to assure her.

"Just tell me to stop," he stated, "And I will."

No words came from Summer as she simply nodded to show that she understood. Qrow continued moving closer, until finally their lips made contact with each other. He expected her to stop and move away almost instantly once they met, but to his surprise she pushed her own lips against his. Qrow could almost feel himself sigh in relief that he had not just horribly screw up.

To Summer, his lips were firm, while to Qrow, hers were soft. The two of them continued to share the passionate moment, being quiet and careful as not to wake up the toddler still in Qrow's arms. They immediately stopped their actions when they heard the opening of a door as Taiyang came out of his room. Luckily for them, he hadn't seen them while he was rubbing his eyes. When he did open them he saw his former teammates and friends awake on the couch.

"Morning guys," he said with a yawn.

Neither of them said a word, too nervous that they might choke on their words. Both of them avoided making eye contact, either to Taiyang or to each other. In an instant, Taiyang knew something was up between the two.

"What did I just walk in on?" he asked trying to be subtle.

"N-Nothing, we just woke up," Qrow turning to Taiyang, "Could you pick up your daughter? My arm's falling asleep."

Taiyang walked up to Qrow and lightly picked up Yang out of his arms. Finally given the opportunity, Qrow got off of the couch so he could stretch out his limbs, with Summer following suit. Qrow then reached into his pocket to fish out his scroll, where he saw a message that brought a smile to his face.

"Alright everyone, let's go," he said picking up his scythe.

"Go?" Taiyang asked confused, "Go where?"

"Is it finished?!" Summer asked getting excited.

"Is what finished?" Taiyang repeated even more confused.

"Well, me and Summer knew how bad you were left off after my sister ran out on you," Qrow stated, "So, we decided to get you a little gift."

Taiyang was unsure what to make of Qrow. He looked to Summer, only to see her nearly jumping up and down with excitement.

"Qrow," Taiyang said unsure of what the answer would be, "What did you get me?"


	7. Chapter 7: First Steps Toward a Family

**Chapter 7: First Steps Toward a Family**

Taiyang stood still, his jaw dropped and eyes widened at the site he was currently seeing, unable to properly form any words. To his left stood his long time friends and teammates, Summer and Qrow, the ones responsible for his current statuesque appearance. Both of them just continued to smile at his surprise, satisfied by his reaction to their gift.

"You... you got me a house?" Taiyang finally managed to say, "How? How did you get me a house?"

"Well, it took some time and I had to call in a few favors," Qrow explained, "But we were able to scrounge around enough lien to pay for all the expenses."

"The real hard part was making sure you didn't know anything about it," Summer added, "We wanted it be a surprise so we could see the look on your face. It was so worth it."

"How long have you two been hiding this?" Taiyang continued to ask.

"About half a year," Qrow and Summer answered in unison.

"Half a year!" Taiyang repeated, "You guys have been planning this for half a year?!"

"No, the house took half a year to build," Qrow corrected, "We've been planning this for like ten months now."

"Six months? For one house?" Taiyang continued with the questions.

"Well, it was from scratch," Qrow remarked, "Plus, we kept changing things."

"Yeah, first we knew we wanted it to be a single story," Summer started, "That way Yang couldn't fall down any stairs."

"But then we came to a problem with spacing of the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedrooms," Qrow finished.

"And at first we thought a fire place would be nice."

"But then we decided it would be better just to have normal internal heating,"

"Then we wanted there to be power in the house, so we had to get that mess settled out."

"And then we kept going back and forth about what color Yang's room should be. By the way, she wanted to make it pink," Qrow said pointing to Summer.

"Pink is a fine color for a little girl, Qrow!" Summer turned to and point back at him.

"Sure, if you want her to fall into stereotypes," he replied sarcastically before turning back to Taiyang, "We ended up coming to terms on yellow."

Taiyang couldn't help but just smile. They went to all this trouble, all this work and preparation, just for him. He knew he could probably never pay them back for this. For helping with Yang. For everything. He didn't care. He was just happy to have such great friends.

"Um, Tai?" Qrow spoke up getting his attention, "Are you okay? You kinda got something right here."

Taiyang rubbed the side of his face where Qrow gestured to. When he looked at his hand he could see a small amount of what looked like water. Surprised by its appearance, Taiyang rubbed the other side of his face to find even more of the water like substance.

'Tears?' he thought to himself, 'I'm crying? Why am I crying?'

"It's okay, Tai," Summer assured with her light voice, "You can cry, you have a right to be happy. We won't think of you any differently."

"Thank you. Both of you," Taiyang said with sincerity, "Thank you for everything you've done."

"It's fine man," Qrow reassured, "Not only did you deserve this after everything with Raven, but Yang needs this too."

"Yeah, no offense or anything, but your previous living arrangements weren't necessarily the best for raising a child," Summer said trying her best to cushion the blow.

"Yeah, it was shit," Qrow said bluntly.

"Hey! Watch the mouth!" Summer warned, "You don't want Yang running around saying those kind of words when she grows up now do you?"

"Geez Summer, you're such a mother it's scary," Qrow joked.

"Well, she's going to need some kind of motherly figure in her life," she retorted, "And it's definitely not coming from you two."

"She's gotta point," Taiyang admitted.

"So, anyone wanna wake up the kid?" Qrow suggested gesturing to the toddler curled up in a red wagon.

After waking up Yang, Qrow and Summer proceeded to show them around the new house. First thing was the living room, not too small, not too big. Empty though. They'd have to get some new furniture. They showed them to the second floor and to Yang's new room. Fortunately, Summer and Qrow were had enough to pay for a new bed, so Yang wouldn't have to sleep in her uncles arms tonight.

"You guy have done so much for us," Taiyang said, "How can I ever repay you?"

"Easy, can you take Yang for the night?" Summer asked.

"Uh sure. Why? You got something planned for today?" he asked genuinely curious.

"Yeah, I gotta make a supply run into town," Summer answered, "And Qrow's gonna help me carry stuff back."

"I am?" Qrow questioned before feeling an elbow get jabbed into his side,"erm, I am."

"Alright, seeya when you get back," Taiyang said as they made their exist as he stayed to watch Yang enjoy her new room.

Qrow waited until they reached halfway down the stairs before bringing it up.

"What the hell was that about?" he said completely confused.

"Look, we need to talk," Summer said simply.

"About?"

"This morning. Qrow, we can't just act like nothing ever happened. Like it didn't mean anything. I figured we'd take the day to talk about it, see what happens from there," she said opening the front door, "Plus we actually do need supplies, so..."

"Great, I have to talk about mistakes and be a pack mule. What a great day to be Qrow."


	8. Chapter 8: What It Meant

**Chapter 8: What It Meant**

Leaning against the wall, all by himself, Qrow took a heavy sigh. Not for the mistake he made this morning by making a move on his close friend, not for the ever unavoidable talk they were no doubt going to have, not even for the immeasurable amount of boredom he was in by waiting for her. Nope. It was all because of the half a dozen shopping bags he was currently holding onto.

"You know, sometimes it sucks to be the one who exercises regularly," he said to nobody in particular.

"Yeah, but on the upside you get all the girls with your sick abs," an all too familiar voice joked.

Qrow opened his eyes to see the friend in question in front of him, and surprise, holding yet another shopping bag. Though, this one was different than the rest. The six he was holding were plastic and semi-clear. The one Summer had was paper and more covered up, like she was trying to hide what was inside.

"What's in that one?" he asked genuinely curious.

"Oh, just a little something for myself," she avoided answering, "You ready to talk?"

Qrow once again sighed, knowing fair well this wasn't going to end well for him. He thought to himself that he might as well just get it over with and out of the way.

'Better sooner than later I guess,' he thought, "Sure, why the hell not?"

The huntsman and huntress walked away from the store and continued walking quietly until they finally stopped to rest at a park bench. A full minute passed by, just sitting in complete silence, neither one really wanting to start up the discussion.

"Did it mean anything to you?" Summer spoke up.

"Huh?" Qrow questioned confusingly.

"The kiss, did it mean anything to you?" she repeated.

"I, I don't know," he replied.

"Qrow, please be honest," she pleaded.

"Fine, it was," he hesitated, "It was great. I really liked it."

"M-me too," she agreed, "It was... warm."

Silence once again filled the air surrounding them, both unsure of what to do or how to continue the discussion.

"So, what now?" Qrow asked unsure of the next move.

A thought then popped into Summer's mind. One thought that made her face begin to heat up. Both because of embarrassment of bringing up the idea and nervousness that it might actually work.

"Do you wanna continue?" she suggested, "See where it goes?"

"S-sure, I guess," Qrow answered in a nervous wreck.

For the third time they sat in awkward in silence, though fortunately, this time only lasted a couple seconds before one spoke up.

"So, aren't you going to 'make a move' or something?" Summer asked waiting, "I mean, guys are the ones who usually start, right?"

"Here?!" Qrow yelped.

"What's wrong with the park?" she asked confused.

"We're in public," he stuttered.

"Why does it matter if it's pub-," Summer stopped herself as the edges of her mouth curled upward, "No! No way! I can't believe it! Qrow Branwen is afraid of showing public displays of affection!"

"I am not!" he shouted over her laughter.

"You are too! I can't wait to tell Tai you're shy!" she kept going laughing even harder.

"I'm not shy, Summer!" he got louder and started reddening.

In one quick motion, Summer pushed Qrow back against the bench seat and got on top of him, pinning him down. She lowered her face right above his, taunting him with her smile.

"Kiss me," she said simply.

"What?!" he asked shocked by her forwardness.

"Prove it to me by giving me a kiss," she explained, "if you do I won't tell anyone about your newfound phobia."

Moments passed by. Qrow did not move an inch. Satisfied knowing she was right, Summer loosened her pin on him. She rose up, crossed her arms and closed her eyes, happy about her success.

"Knew it. You're too shy to kiss a gi-" Summer was cut off by the suddenly being pushed forward.

Her eyes flung open as before she knew it, Summer was met with the familiar feeling of Qrow's firm lips pressing against hers. She was further more push by his hand pressing against her back. After the initial shock, Summer begin to close her eyes again, falling into the embrace of the warm feeling and comfort brought by the kiss. Qrow leaned back with Summer following his movement, with their kiss becoming more and more passionate as an unknown amount of time passed by unaware.

The two eventually separated their lips as the need for oxygen was only growing. Their gasps for air were loud and obvious, and no words were said during the brief breathing break. Seconds passed only for them to go back to the others lips. Summer placed her hands on the side of Qrow's cheeks, as Qrow placed his remaining hand on the back of her head, pushing and pulling each other into the embrace as much as they could, only for another gasp for air.

"So," Summer said between her breaths, "Are... are you doing anything tonight?"

"No," Qrow simply replied, "You?"

"I... I got something in mind."


	9. Chapter 9: A Night of Passion

**Chapter 9: A Night of Passion**

It was all quiet, nobody in the main lobby except for the staff and two guess now signing in and paying for a room. Qrow was nervous. Or was it anxious? He couldn't really pinpoint what he was feeling at this point. He could recall several times he had spent a night in a hotel like this one. It was a setting he was all too familiar with, being a traveling huntsman, he had spent a good number of nights with young women in places just like this. And it would have been fine if it had just been some random dame he had met just earlier that day and hit it off with, but that wasn't the case this time. This was someone he has always considered a very good friend, a trusted teammate and leader, someone who until very recently he never thought of in a romantic light. And now they were renting a single room together. He didn't really know what to make of the situation.

"Okay, I got our key card," Summer appeared before him holding up a red card with the numbers 172 on it, "Ready?"

Qrow didn't respond, he merely rose up from his seat and proceeded to follow her. They entered an elevator and Summer pressed in their floor number. The doors closed and immediately the machine started moving up. Looking to her, Qrow saw a smile a Summer's face. He began to wonder what was up with her lately. Lately she has been way too forward for herself. First this morning, then the park, and now they were getting a room to be alone together. He wasn't one to complain, but he felt like she was rushing things a bit too fast for her own good. What has become of the shy little girl that constantly kept her hood up to avoid being seen? Where was the socially awkward introvert who stuttered every other word when they first met?

The elevator dinged signifying the arrival of their floor, followed shortly by the doors swinging open. The two walked out and into the hall. About a minute passed before finding their room of 172. Summer unlocked and opened the door and walked into it. Qrow proceeded to go in, but was prevented when the door shut only a few inches from his face.

"Hey!" he shouted in annoyance, "What gives?!"

"Sorry Qrow, but you're gonna have to wait a bit," Summer said from the other side of the door, "I just need to get ready."

Qrow grabbed a hold of the door handle and twisted it only for it to not budge, letting him know that she had locked him out for now. Now forced to wait, Qrow decided to sit on the hall floor, leaning against the walls. Several minutes passed by waiting for the door to unlock. Qrow counted up to ten before quitting out of boredom. After an unknown amount of minutes, he heard a click telling him that the door was unlocked and that she was finally ready. Standing back up, Qrow opened the door and walked in to find the shock of his life.

Right there, standing only a good ten feet away, was Summer Rose wearing a ruby red silk nightgown, with her face to match its color. It showed off more skin than he was used to seeing from Summer, as the top of her chest was visible and it stopped at her mid-thigh, which had a slit at both sides purely for erotic effect. He noticed her eyes were tightly closed, clearly embarrassed by her very revealing attire to look at him. Qrow didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to think. Merely saying the first thing that came to mind.

"Was that what was in the bag?!" he shouted.

Summer merely nodded, too mortified to even speak. Qrow slowly and quietly began to walk forward, making sure not to make a single sound with each step. Upon getting close enough, he lifted his hand and brought it to her cheek. Summer jumped slightly and made a small audible gasp on contact to his touch. Holding her head still, Qrow brought himself to eye level and pushed his lips firmly against hers. Summer took no time in returning the gesture. After separating their lips, Summer sighed heavily and opened her eyes.

"You're beautiful, Summer," Qrow complimented.

He saw her lips form into a smile at the reaction to his words. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into another kiss. His hands soon found their way to the back of her head and her lower back. Although his eyes now closed, he could still feel her hands move to his chest, working on undoing the buttons on his shirt. He decided to help her along, and pulled his arms into their sleeves and pulled his shirt off over his head.

With his chest exposed, Summer took the time to admire his well toned muscles. Her hands pressed against them, her fingers tracing along the ridges. She was caught surprised when Qrow quickly picked her up by placing his hands under her legs, as he carried and dropped her on the nearby bed and quickly crawled on top of her.

"What's with the lingerie, Summer?" Qrow asked truly wondering what's been going on with her.

"Qrow... I've liked you more than a friend for a lot longer than you might think," she started out with her confession, "And I thought with what happened this morning, now would probably be my best chance. Why not make it special?"

"Are you sure you want this?" he questioned some more, "Are... Are you sure you want me?"

"I have literally dreamt of this for a long time now," she confirmed "I think I can say with safety that I'm okay with my first time being with you."

"But I'm not goo-" he got out before being cut off.

"Qrow, you are sweet and caring and even really funny at times. You were the first to treat me like a friend rather than a leader, and honestly speaking, I feel my safest when I'm around you. I want this," she said before sharing another sweet kiss, "I want you, Qrow."

With enough confirmation, Qrow finally gave in to her wishes. Whether this whole idea was for better or for worse was still up in the air for him, but one thing was certainly clear to the both of them. After tonight, they could never go back to just being friends.


	10. Chapter 10: An Unexpected Surprise

Author's Note: I'M BACK!

* * *

 **Chapter 10: An Unexpected Surprise**

Summer took a heavy breath, preparing herself for the worst. It had been a little over three weeks since she and Qrow had shared that intimate night together at the hotel. But a few days after that she had not felt very good in the morning. She thought she had just caught a stomach virus, but then she was late this month last week. She was now waiting patiently for her test to confirm or deny if her worries were true. She looked down to her test to see the results before her.

"Positive, great," she sighed in disappointment.

She looked up into the mirror and saw how she looked. She shook her head and took another deep breath. She brought a determined look on herself and decided to look on the bright side. Yes, now probably wasn't really the best time to be having a child, but she was pregnant, and she just had to accept that as the reality. Then a thought popped in. One of her being a mother, which brought a smile to to lips. She did have some practice with Yang all this time. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

She knew though that she still had to tell the father about their unborn child, and all things considered, she didn't really know how he would handle it. She hid the pregnancy test in her pocket rather than throwing it away to avoid someone finding it before she could tell them. She didn't want to start some big fiasco about it. She left the bathroom and heard the sound of the front door loudly shutting followed by a shout.

"I'm back!" she heard the man in question announce, "And I got food!"

Summer made her way to the living room, picking up her pace to see him as soon as possible. She finally reached the room to see Qrow holding four bags full of food, two in each of his arms. She walked quickly to his side and took two of the bags off his hands. She was caught in surprise when after freeing one of his arms Qrow quickly used his free hand to pull her in toward him by her waist. Her mild surprise faded when her lips was met by his in a deep passionate kiss.

"Been waiting to do that all day," Qrow said in his usual cocky tone after separating from the kiss.

He let go of her so that the two of them could quickly put away the food he had just bought. Afterwards, both of them heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, followed by an all too familiar voice.

"Yes... Yes... Thank you," Taiyang spoke into his scroll as he was coming down the steps before hanging up, "YES! FINALLY!"

"Who was that?" Qrow questioned his abnormal excitement.

"That, was the headmaster of Signal Academy," Taiyang answered with a proud smile, "And they just called to tell me that my application has just been accepted. I am now a teacher at Signal Academy."

"Congrats man!" Qrow said giving Taiyang a clap to handshake followed by one arm hug, "What's the class?"

"Eh, just basic combat training," Taiyang shrugged off, "Nothing special. Just glad I got the job."

"Well, it's good that you did," Summer added, "Now you can start being the one to put food on the table."

"Again, guys, I really appreciate all that you two have done for me," he thanked them again, "For the house, for Yang, for everything."

"It's the least we can do," Qrow stated, "After all, if it weren't for you, we'd probably not be a thing right now, if ever."

Summer was admittedly surprised how forward Qrow was about their relationship. They decided to tell him after their night together because they didn't want to complicate things any further. Within the few weeks he's become comfortable having his arms around her in public. It brought a nice smile to her lips. She thought that telling him might not be that bad.

"So, I'd hate to ask more of you, but," Taiyang started, "they want me to come in and get used to the academy's layout so... I gotta go for a couple hours. Can you guy take care of Yang for a bit?"

"Sure," Summer quickly answered, taking the chance to be alone with Qrow, "We could even stick around awhile longer. Save you the money of a baby sitter."

"Thanks guys, Yang's asleep upstairs and I'll be back like around eight or so," he said walking out the door, "If I'm late, start dinner without me!"

Shutting the door after Taiyang's departure, Summer decided now was her absolute best time to give Qrow the news. She thought to herself of how she should do it. She needed someway to ease him in or get him in a good mood to tell him. She then remembered something she had been hiding for a couple months. She quickly grabbed onto Qrow's hand and started dragging him upstairs.

"Come with me, I've got something for you!" she told him as the reached the top steps.

Summer brought Qrow to their now shared bedroom. entering and shutting the door behind them, she sat him down on the edge of the bed while she scrounged around in the closet.

"Close your eyes," she told him.

Qrow followed her words and shut his eyes. A few seconds passed as he heard her still looking around in the closet for something. He guessed she must have found it because after it came to a stop he felt something soft get placed on his lap.

"Okay, open."

He opened his eyes to find some kind of red cloth upon him. He lifted it and turned it every which way to figure out what it was. Then he notice that two corners were longer with an odd angle giving him the idea of what he was holding.

"Is this...?" he started off unsure.

"A new cloak, to replace the damaged one you have," Summer confirmed, "I wanted to make a new one ever since I found out you ruined my last one."

"When did you have time for this?" he asked out of curiosity, "we've only been in this house for three weeks."

"I do a little bit of work whenever you go out for a bit," she revealed, "It was originally going to be for your birthday, but I thought it would be good now to ease in telling you that I'm pregnant."

The air was silent as soon as Summer let it out in the open. Qrow froze up upon hearing the words come out of her mouth. He looked to his left and saw her standing there like she didn't say anything out of the ordinary. He actually questioned himself if he had heard her right. He decided to make sure just in case.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Qrow asked for safety, "But it sounded like you said-"

"I'm pregnant."

The look on her face started to change, knowing that he had heard her straight, she simply waited for his response. His hands lost their grip of the cloak as it fell to the floor. He stood up from his spot, all the while keeping eye contact with Summer.

"You're..." he mustered up gaining a small number of quick nods from her, "Are you sure?"

"Three separate test throughout the day," she clarified pulling the last pregnancy test out of her pocket, "All of them came up positive."

"But it was only one time!"

"I guess this time once was enough."

The two of them stood there once again in complete silence. Both of them unsure of what to do now. Nobody to blame as they were both guilty parties. Qrow saw the worried look on her face. He knew he should do something.

"What do you want to do about this?" he asked with the utmost level of sincerity.

"I wanna keep it," Summer said placing her hands on her stomach, "I don't think it's right to end a life before it has a chance to live. Plus, I kinda like the idea of being a mom."

"Then let's do it," Qrow said with the same tone as before, "Let's have a kid, Summer."

Upon hearing those words, Summer's eye began to water. He was fully accepting of it. No anger, no panicking, just him willing to be with her. Tears started rolling down her face and she ran to him, his arms quickly opening to hold her close to him. She was right about him. Qrow did truly love her.


	11. Chapter 11: What Happened Next?

Author's Note: This chapter got done early. So surprise! Don't expect this to happen too often.

* * *

 **Chapter 11: What Happened Next?**

(Present Day)

Yang for once in her entire life was left speechless at what her uncle Qrow had just told her. Her eyes weren't wide, that had passed, now she was just currently trying to process everything. Now knowing that a good portion of her life has been a lie this entire time.

"So, you and Summer were... a thing, Ruby is your daughter," Yang went through the list of things he had told her, "And to top it off, rather than being my sister she's really my cousin?"

"That just about sums it up, yeah," Qrow confirmed followed by taking a swig from his flask, "So, you understand why you can't tell anyone you know?"

"Yeah I got it, but just one thing," she started, "What happened? It sounded like you and Summer were happy together. Why hide the truth about her real dad from Ruby?"

Yang received no response. All she got was Qrow looking down at his drink, looking uneasy. It was the first time Yang had ever seen her uncle like that. She didn't know whether she should press on or not, but she did want to know what exactly went wrong.

"Why doesn't Dad want Ruby to know?" she asked worrying about her uncles silence.

"I... I can't tell you Yang," he refused to answer.

"Qrow, please," she pleaded, "Tell me what went wrong."

Qrow looked up to her and saw the look on her face. He sighed as he decided to give up trying to hide the truth. He told her this much, no point in stopping now.

"When Summer told me she was pregnant, after the initial shock, for a brief moment I felt genuinely happy. I was in a good house with my best friend, the woman I loved, and about to become a parent. It started feeling like home. I found my family," Qrow started out, "But then, thoughts began to flood my mind. What if I failed? What if I couldn't be there for her? What if... what if I wasn't a good father?"

"You... you thought you'd be a bad father?" Yang questioned.

"I thought she deserved a better father. Ruby, she didn't need me as a parental figure. A reckless, overconfident, smartass who constantly finds and causes trouble. Looking up to me, she'd would eventually follow me to her grave," Qrow stated, "That's why... I left."

Yang just sat there in complete silence. Dumbfounded by what her uncle had just confessed to her. He abandoned them. While she admitted that he did have a point, she still didn't like his choice to just get up and go. Before, she would have hit him for what he did, but part of her had sympathy for him. He only did what he thought was best. She really couldn't blame him.

"You know, if it's any consolation, Ruby still looks up to you," Yang said trying to cheer him up, "You're like a second father to her. She uses a scythe just like you after all."

"Yeah, and look where it's gotten her. Two dead friends, her team dismantled, her 'sister' disarmed," he took another swig before realizing what he had just said, "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to come off like a joke."

"It's fine, I know you didn't mean it like that," she said as new thought came to mind, "So, if you thought Ruby was better off without you, why did you come back into our lives?"

"You can thank your dad for that, he knocked some sense into me, after he tracked me down to a bar in Mistral," he answered after taking the last drink from his flask, "Told me I need to accept things the way they were, stop blaming myself for everything, even though it is all my fault."

"Blaming yourself?" Yang questioned the odd choice of words, "For what?"

Qrow stayed silent for a bit. He put the cap back on his flask and returned it back to his pocket. He got up from his makeshift seat and walked a bit away from his niece, keeping his face from being seen.

"The time that I was gone," he momentarily paused before turning back around, "That was when Summer died."

Yang immediately understood what he was implying. The look on his face was one of guilt and self-hate with tears leaving a trail down his cheeks, one she had never seen on her uncle. She knew he truly believe because of his absence during her passing that it was his doing. She refused to let him do this to himself.

"Qrow," she paused to think of the right words, "you can't honestly think you're to blame for Summer. Do you?"

"I am to blame, Yang," he answered, "If I had just stayed instead of running off like a coward, she could still be alive. I could have kept her from going on that job. I could have protected her. I could have fought beside her. Ruby could still have her mother if it weren't for me. I may say the opposite to Tai, but honestly, I truly am the reason she's dead. I hate myself everyday for it. Every time I have to look into my daughter's eyes, I see so much of her mother in her. That is why I couldn't tell her. I couldn't tell her that her father is why she can never see her mom again."

"Stop it!" Yang shouted out at him.

Silence filled the cold winter night air as neither said a thing. Out of nowhere, Yang ran forward toward her uncle, catching him off guard when she suddenly came into his embrace by wrapping her arm around him tightly, her own tears now falling from her eyes.

"You... you can't blame yourself just because you couldn't protect her!" she yelled as she began to sob loudly, "Dad wasn't there to save her! Neither was my mom! Nobody could help her! You can't put it all on you! It's just not fair to beat yourself over it! You loved her, I get that, but do you think she would want you hating yourself like this?! Sometimes, bad things just happen to good people, and there's nothing we can do! Yeah, it sucks, but at some point, you just gotta keep on living! Because that's what they would want from us!"

Qrow didn't know what to say. He moved his hands to hold his niece closer to him. One hand on her back, the other on the back of her head against her golden hair.

"Yang..." he started, but no other words came to mind.

"Please, Uncle Qrow, keep living," she pleaded, "Not for us, not for you, but for Summer, for Ruby."

Qrow lowered his head, his forehead just touching the top of hers.

"Thank you," he lightly whispered.

Neither of them moved for what seemed like forever, both of them holding each other, not a single muscle twitching, until they noticed light beginning to shine in through the treeline. Morning had arrived without their notice and the sun was just peeking over the horizon.

"Come on, your dad's probably worried about us being out all night," Qrow claimed softly wiping the now drying tears out of his eyes, "And you need to get some shred of sleep in today."

"Will you tell Ruby?" Yang asked doing the same as they started their walk home.

"One day, Yang," he said simply, "one day."


	12. Chapter 12: Goodbyes

Author's Note: And so, here we are. The final chapter. Before you read this, I would just like to say I greatly appreciate everyone reading this, and I'm glad to see so many people enjoying my content. So. Thank you. Thank you for enjoying my first complete work. Thank you for being so supportive and for all the positive reviews. Thank you for your time. Now, without any more waiting, the end of "The Branwen Rose". Enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Goodbyes**

(16 years ago)

Qrow quietly walked around his room, attaching his newly made cloak to his shirt, grabbing his scythe and holstering it. He looked to his bed, seeing her there lying asleep, unaware of the horrible action he was about to commit. He walked over to the bed and placed down a note, the contents explaining why he was doing this, secretly knowing that it was no excuse. As he was just about to leave, he turned back around to see her still asleep. He walked up to her and knelt down to her, planting one last kiss on her head.

"I'm sorry," he whispered before quietly leaving the room, leaving the house, leaving his family.

-x-

(Present Day)

Qrow and Yang quietly entered through the front door, making sure not to wake anyone up as they came in. If Taiyang found out they were out all night, they would not hear the end of it for a long time coming.

"Alright, now be quiet going upstairs," Qrow warned in a whisper, "and do try to get a couple hours of sleep."

"Okay," Yang said and was about to go when her uncle re-opened the front door, "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna do something I haven't done in awhile," he vaguely answered, "I think it's long over due."

Without another word, Qrow left the house and started walking off. Leaving Yang alone to make it to her room. She took deep breaths with every step she took, fearing one of the floor boards might squeak underneath the pressure and alert someone of her getting home. Slowly but surely, she made it up the stairs, and was close to her door when she suddenly heard a sound. One that didn't come from her. The sound surprisingly came from her si-cousin's room. Making sure not to make a sound, Yang made her way to the door and slowly turned the knob. Opening the door very slightly, she looked through the crack and couldn't believe what she saw.

Ruby up walking around. Her scythe was on her bed along side with dust rounds and other supplies. She was fully dressed in her usual hood and skirt getup. Yang instantly knew what she was doing, and she didn't like it one bit. She watched as Ruby grabbed her bag and started stuffing all of her supplies into. Yang quietly opened the door further and entered the room with Ruby too busy to notice. She prompted herself against the wall and waited a good couple seconds before she started.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat to get Ruby's attention.

"Ahh!" Ruby jumped and turned around, entering a fake martial arts pose before seeing who it was, "Yang! What are you doing up?"

"Said the little girl wearing her combat gear and packing her bag with dust," Yang said giving her a narrow eyed look, "What are you doing, Ruby?"

Ruby sighed heavily knowing she was busted.

"I have to go, Yang," she started, " I need to find the ones who did this. The ones who destroyed Beacon. The ones who hurt so many people. I won't let them just go unpunished. They need to pay for their actions."

"Ruby, it's too reckless, don't do this," Yang pleaded, "You don't need to do this just to feel better."

"I'm not doing this for me, Yang. I'm doing this for those who can't anymore," Ruby stated with a determined look Yang had never seen before, "For Penny. For Pyrrha. For you. I'm gonna find them and bring them to justice."

"I can't stop you," Yang said, "and if I could, I'd go with you."

"I know you would," Ruby stated, "and if I could, I'd let you. I would wait for you to recover, but right now, I can't afford to waste time."

"Where are you going?" Yang asked both curious and concerned for her well being.

"Mistral, Heaven Academy, that's where Cinder said she was from," Ruby replied, "I'm gonna get some answers."

Ruby scrounged around her room a bit before finding pen and paper. She started writing something down before placing the paper on her bed. She then picked up her Crescent Rose, placing it on her back holster and put her pack on. She turned toward the door to see Yang in her way. At first Ruby thought Yang was just gonna stay in her way, then Yang came close and held her close to her.

"Take care of yourself, baby sister," Yang warned.

"Don't worry, Yang," Ruby assured, "I'm not going alone."

Yang backed away and stepped out of Ruby's way as she walked toward and opened the door. Almost about to leave, Ruby quickly turned back around and shared one last hug with her big sister.

"I'm gonna miss you," she said on the verge of tears.

"Yeah, me too," Yang shared the feeling.

-x-

(12 years ago)

In an old run down bar in Mistral, Qrow was resting his head on the counter, drenched in the smell of booze. He has done nothing but do this everyday, ever since he found out about Summer. He couldn't believe she was gone. Someone as pure-hearted as her, at such a young age. It shouldn't have happened. Not to her.

"Should have been me," he slurred in a mix of depression and drunkenness, "It should have been me."

"You know," an unknown but familiar voice spoke out, "a friend of mine said you shouldn't drink alcohol, said it was poison."

Qrow turned toward the voice to see Taiyang standing before him with a look of disappointment and anger. Qrow made a face of disgust before quickly turning his gaze back to the drink in his hand.

"The fuck are you doing here?" Qrow said before downing the last bit of liquor in this glass, "I thought you stopped drinking."

"And I thought you hated it," Taiyang countered, "Look, I know what you're going through right now. It's hard to lose someone you love."

"Except one thing wiseguy, only one of us lost the love of their life," Qrow stated while filling his glass again, "Yours left you in some broken down shed on Patch."

"Then I guess you two aren't so different," Taiyang retorted, making Qrow grip his glass tighter, "Both of you abandoned the ones who loved you."

Qrow felt himself heating up as he gritted his teeth. The sound of glass cracking could be heard right before the drink Qrow was holding erupted as the glass shattered under the pressure of his ever tightening grip. His now formed fist now covered in what was his choice of alcohol.

"How dare you!" Qrow shouted out without restraint due to his drunken state, getting the entire bars attention, "Comparing me to my sister! That's low even for you, Tai!"

"How can I not? Twins are always similar in some fashion," Taiyang pressed on, "Normally it's in looks, but in your case it's personality and how you both just leave when you can't handle being a parent. You're just like her."

As soon as those words escaped his lips, Qrow's fist swung through the air, landing a hit right across Taiyang's face. Taiyang's head barely moved from the strike.

"Geez, that all you got," he insulted, "Please, the worst part of that punch was having an up close whiff of that reeking excuse for a drink."

Pissing him off even more, Qrow pulled back for another swing at his head. When he tried to hit him, Taiyang easily dodged it effortlessly, and then he grabbed on to Qrow's arm and threw him overhead behind him, sending him crashing into a nearby table, breaking it in the process.

"Hey! If you're gonna roughhouse take it out in the alley!" the bartender yelled at the two, "I don't need you and your drunk idiot friend to wreck my place up!"

"What the hell happened to you, Qrow?!" Taiyang yelled out as Qrow struggled to get back on his feet, "You left Summer while she was pregnant, you're gone for four years, and you don't even visit your own daughter!"

"Daughter?" Qrow questioned as he finally got still, "It's... It's a girl?"

"Summer named her Ruby," Taiyang confirmed, "Ruby Rose. She's three and now she has a deceased mother and runaway drunk of a father. Which is why I took full custody of her after Summer died."

"You... you what?!" Qrow yelled in shock and anger, "But she's mine!"

"She needed a father in her life, Qrow. It's for the best she believe that to be me," Taiyang stated, "I mean, do you honestly think that a scruffy looking stranger with the aroma of a bar is the best father figure?"

"I... Yeah I guess not," Qrow admitted, before questioning a certain word Taiyang used, "Scruffy looking?"

"Look, one day, we'll tell her, when she's older and if you clean your shit up," Taiyang made the terms, "And you can't tell anyone you're her father. I don't want it to spread and she find out from anyone but us. Agreed?"

"I...," Qrow wanted to say something but just sighed in defeat as he was backed into a corner, "O-okay, fine. I... I guess that's fine."

"Good. Now get ready," Taiyang ordered, "Time to go home."

-x-

(Present Day)

Qrow stood still and silent on top of the now snow covered cliff, looking at the gravestone baring rose symbol carved into it. Below the symbol read "Summer Rose" followed below by "Thus Kindly I Scatter". Qrow couldn't help but feel sadden by just looking at it, despite it being over a decade now. He sighed followed by taking a deep breath.

"Hey, I know it's... Well it's been a long while now," he started out, "It's just... It's getting harder, keeping the truth from her. Partly because, well how do I just tell her I'm her dad? But mostly, I still feel somewhat responsible for, well, this. I should have been there. To stop you from going, to fight with you, to bring you back home to her. But I wasn't, and as someone told me, I have to live with that. Not for myself. For her."

Qrow paused, as if he were waiting for a response.

"Summer, I know I made a horrible decision by leaving. I was no better than Raven. But unlike her, I came back, and I regret my choices. Somehow, I don't know how or when, but somehow, I'm going to make this right. You know, it's funny," he paused, reaching into his pocket and pulled out Ozpin's cane, "If Oz was here, he'd tell me that being honest would be the best thing right now. But of course, he's not here, and something dark is coming soon. I think honesty can wait just a little bit more. Who knows. Her birthday is coming around in a couple months. Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll be in a good mood and then I could tell her. Tell her about us."

He returned the cane back into his pockets.

"I wonder what you'd say if you were here right now," he thought before letting out a small laugh, "You'd probably just bite my head off about damaging a second cloak. Then you'd be excited to know Ruby has one too. It's just like yours, except red. You would have loved the young woman she turned out to be. You'd be just as proud of her as I am. And you can bet that as long as I live, I'm going to make sure she stays safe. I gotta go, but I'll make sure to come back soon. Goodbye, Summer... I love you."

Qrow turned and started to walk away from the grave. As he made his way, he could feel the tears that had been forming in the corners of his eyes roll down his face. He didn't bother wiping them away as nothing would come of a few shed tears. He reached the house and proceeded to enter it quietly. Exhausted, he planned to spend the next couple of hours unconscious on the couch. That was until he heard the sound of something falling to the floor, followed by running footsteps and then with Taiyang appearing at the stairs.

"Qrow!" he shouted with a worried look.

With no need to explain, Qrow turned back around and grabbed his scythe before leaving the house once again. He ran down the path as fast as he could, all the while thoughts began to flood his mind.

'What the hell is that girl thinking?!' he yelled in his mind, 'Doing this in winter! Doing this without telling us! Doing this at all! How can she be so reckless?!'

His mind stopped before he gave another small laugh.

"She really is my daughter, huh," he said with a smile.

As he ran, he remembered some of the good times he had spent with her in the last decade. One particular one came to mind

-x-

(8 years ago)

Qrow looked down at the now seven year old little girl who stood before him, with a guilty look on her. He had just walked in on her messing around with his cloak, the result being her tripping over it and tearing it.

"Look, Ruby, I'm not mad that you were playing with my cloak," he said softly, trying to not upset the child, "But, you shouldn't be taking things that aren't yours. This cloak is special to me, so you can see why I'm a little upset that it's ripped."

The little girl looked down at her feet, trying to avoid making eye contact with her uncle.

"I'm sorry Uncle Qrow," she apologized looking truly sorry for her actions, "I won't do it ever again. I promise."

"It's... It's okay. It's just," he paused to think of the right words, "This cloak was given to me by a good friend, so I care about it a lot."

After saying that, he watched as the little girl started getting upset. Her eyes beginning to water. Nose becoming stuffy. Taking quick breaths in, about to start crying.

"Ruby, I'm not mad," he kept clarifying, "Just please be careful with my stuff. Okay?"

Ruby soon began to stop herself from bawling.

"O-okay," she said.

"Now, how about you go clean up, and if you're good tomorrow, I'll make you your own cloak," he suggested, "How does that sound?"

"Really?!" she asked, "My own?!"

"You got it, kiddo," he clarified, "now, give me a hug and go get clean."

The little black and red tinted haired girl quickly ran into her uncle's arms.

"Love you, Uncle Qrow!"

"Love you too, Rosebud."

-x-

(Present Day)

Qrow looked off on top of a cliff to see his daughter, walking down a snowy path, accompanied by three of her friends from Beacon. He thought about confronting them, but something in the back of his head told him to just let them keep going. So he stood there, just watching them.

'I promise Summer, I'll bring our daughter back home,' he thought to himself, 'And then I'll tell her everything. But first, she needs to find herself. She needs to do this for her, without me getting in the way. But like I said, I'm gonna keep her safe. I swear on that.'

THE END

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this story. At times it felt like a chore, but I'm truly glad I kept to it. Please give me your true honest opinions about this chapter and the story as a whole. Until next time. Oh, and happy early Valentine's Day everyone.


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